Altee Tenpenny’s gone to Alabama – signed, yet to be sealed and likely to deliver (if he beats out 16 other blue chip running backs who will soon turn the Crimson Tide practice field into TheHunger Games’ arena).

Most Razorback fans had already reconciled themselves to this fact. Tenpenny wasn’t exactly coy in confirming and reconfirming his commitment to Alabama multiple times this past year. Still, in recent months, there was an awful lot of caring poured out on the young man from North Little Rock. Fans believed he could have been a native son savior in the mold of Madre Hill, Cedric Cobbs or Darren McFadden.

Now that he’s off to follow in the footsteps of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, to what extent will Arkansas football fans – who’d invested so much emotion in Tenpenny – sever ties with him?

There’s an array of opinions expressed on the message board Hogville.net.

Some fans will still try to tune in to watch Tenpenny next season (or whenever he gets on the field) and will root for him against all opponents except Arkansas.

Other fans won’t pay him an ounce of mind.

Count Hogville member “Hognitive Dissonance” in this camp. “I don’t root against players who go out of state,” he/she wrote. “I really don’t. I don’t root for them, either. They become total non-entities to me. I lose track of them and am really not interested in following what happens with them.”

Finally, there is that segment of the population who cannot “unfollow” Tenpenny’s Twitter account fast enough. Indeed, it’s probable were there a Twitter account titled “Unfollowing Tenpenny,” they would follow it.

“To me, if you’re from Arkansas and you have an Arkansas offer and choose to go elsewhere, you become from that place,” wrote Dogtown Donkey. “I no longer associate you with being an Arkansan. Doesn’t mean I hate you or want to see you fail, just means I don’t give a flip about you.”

I believe where Arkansans fall in this spectrum of apathy depends on a) how much they have emotionally invested into Arkansas Razorbacks athletics vs. b) how much they love the game of college football regardless of the people playing it.

I’m emotionally invested in the Hogs, and likely always will be, but I love the sport itself more. And I love the sport specifically because of great players like Tenpenny. So, even if he signed with BYU-Hawaii, I’d still make a point of watching and rooting for him next season. No matter where he ends up, I’ll still care.

No longer considering a kid as an Arkansan because he leaves the state seems extreme, but I wonder if part of the reason some fans feel this way is because Arkansas doesn’t have a major pro team. In other places, a beloved prep star may leave his state to attend college somewhere else, but the people back home know there’s a chance the native son could one day return to play for the area’s pro team.

An example is Chicago native Derrick Rose. The basketball star could have attended the University of Illinois, but instead chose the University of Memphis because he wanted a better platform for the pros. And, it just so turned out, he was able to return to Chicago and has become the most beloved Bull since Michael Jordan.

If Arkansas had pro football, fans would not be as bummed about Tenpenny’s Alabama defection. He could still return one day to play for the state’s NFL team.

There’s a chance something like this could still happen to Tenpenny.

In the next few seasons, Alabama’s running back depth will save him much wear and tear on his body (indeed, being a “low-mileage” back is a key selling point in Alabama’s recruiting philosophy). This, combined with experience gained from daily practice against Crimson Tide defense and Nick Saban’s coaching, could make Tenpenny a top-notch pro prospect three years down the line.

If he successfully uses Alabama as a platform to the pros, and the great success he finds at that next level just so happens to be with the Dallas Cowboys, something tells me Arkansans will again embrace this prodigiously talented prodigal son with wide open arms.

POLL QUESTION

Tenpenny didn’t flip to the Hogs. How much will you still care about him?

Not at all. He may as well be from another state now that he’s Crimson Tide.

A little. I’m still curious how he does at Alabama.

Some. Except for when he plays the Hogs, I’ll root for him since he’s an Arkansan and a good guy.

Quite a bit. He’s still an ambassador of the state of Arkansas, and transferring is always a possibility!

Evin Demirel has spent the last few months interviewing Tenpenny and his inner circle about the recruiting process. The resulting feature article published Wednesday on SBNation Longform. Follow Demirel here.

As an Arkansan I always hope the best for fellow Arkies and certainly don’t blame him for wanting to go play for the best coach and team and have a better chance to win a championship and get highly drafted.

MamaWheat

Wish Altee a healthy and successful career at Alabama. He has to do what he feels is best for him and his future. Just because he feels Bama is the best place for him doesn’t mean he’s not a Razorback fan. Look at Keith Jackson. He played at OU, but he’s one of the best ambassadors for the state of Arkansas, a huge hog fan, and he along w/ his family are some of the nicest people anyone will ever meet. As Alex Collins’ Aunt stated “he has to follow his heart, and we should support him.” We excpect Alex’s family to let him follow his heart to Arkansas then we as Arkansans should support Altee in his decision to go to Alabama. I say good luck to Altee, and I hope he lights it up at Bama. Show the people of Alabama what great people come from the state of Arkansas then they will have two Arkansans to love!

Name

I will definitely be rooting for this young man! Hope he isn’t the one betrayed by saban, how could one feel wanted when there are already 4 to 5 rbs on campus and you bring in 4 more? That math doesn’t add up very well in someone’s favor, hope its not tenpenny cause I know he is a hard worker and I am 100% behind anyone following their dream!

the501keith

If it were your child, would you be like Alex mom? That really bothered me because u have to let your child follow his dreams, jus be there to pick them up if they don’t succeed and tell them to try again!

AlteeTenpennyPremadonna

I blaim him, hes showed his character throughout the process. He thinks hes good which is sad, he sees success at Alabama and he feels hes entitled to have success. Hes a premadonna, I’m glad Bama got him, we need people that want to get better not kids who think they are amazing. Sad to see a kid make a terrible life decision but oh well. Pretty much the consensus is that he will never play. reminds me of michael dyer, saw the success at aub and jumped on the bandwagon. I will not feel sorry for Altee if his college football career is a complete failure.